Money & ATM Scams in Moscow

Street Currency Exchange Tout

Men loitering near metro exits in Kitay-Gorod, Okhotny Ryad, and around GUM department store on Red Square approach tourists whispering offers to change money at a good rate. The offered rate appears attractive but the exchange involves sleight of hand -- the tourist receives a stack of bills with high-denomination notes on the outside and worthless or incorrect currency inside, or is shortchanged during the rapid hand-off. In some cases the exchanger disappears into a crowd the moment the tourist notices the discrepancy.